At Guna Samriddhi Kendra, villagers to get banking, postal, healthcare and agri facilities

Bhopal: Union minister for Communications and Development of the North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia on Saturday inaugurated a pilot Samriddhi Kendra (Prosperity Centre) in Umri-Ari village of Guna district, marking the launch of a digital rural service hub designed to bring multiple essential services to villagers under one roof.The initiative, launched on a pilot basis in only three locations across the country, aimed to integrate services such as e-banking, postal facilities, healthcare, agriculture support, digital commerce and e-governance through a single digitally enabled centre. The Guna centre was the only one established in Madhya Pradesh, while the other two were located in Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.Officials said the centre would directly benefit residents of Umri-Ari and nearby villages within a radius of around five kilometres, reducing the need for villagers to travel to towns for routine services.Speaking during the inauguration, Scindia said the concept of the Samriddhi Kendra was to bridge the rural-urban digital divide and ensure that villagers had easy access to govt and financial services through technology.During the event, the union minister toured various exhibition stalls and demonstration units showcasing the range of services that would be delivered through the centre. Officials explained that the facility would function as a single-point access hub for healthcare consultations, agricultural advisories, financial transactions, digital learning and govt services.The project was expected to serve as a model for digitally empowered rural governance, and officials indicated that the concept could be expanded to other parts of the country after evaluating the performance of the pilot centres.The Samriddhi Kendra was designed to deliver education, skill development, telemedicine, agricultural guidance, financial inclusion and e-commerce services to villagers using digital platforms. With high-speed connectivity and monitoring systems in place, the centre would extend its services to surrounding villages located within a five-kilometre radius.Authorities said the centre would function as a representative rural digital hub, catering to communities with diverse social and demographic backgrounds.During the visit, Scindia inspected the computer laboratory, smart classroom, network room and conference facilities established at the centre. He also observed demonstrations of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications used for digital education and information dissemination.Officials also briefed the minister on the use of drone technology for agricultural monitoring and other rural applications, along with the overall operational mechanism of the centre.